| Press Release: NYS CANAL CORP., June 29, 2004
The New York State Canal Corporation today announced that the Tug Urger, its
flagship vessel, has added eight summer festivals to the 2004 schedule.
Christened the Henry J. Dornbos in Michigan on June 13, 1901, the Tug Urger
became property of the New York State Canal Corporation when the Corporation was
created in 1992. Since that time, the Urger has served as an official
“ambassador” for the historic 524-mile waterway.
Today, the Urger visits Canalside communities, presenting New York’s
fourth-grade students with an interactive hands-on history lesson on the
remarkable Tug and the historic Canal System.
In addition to learning about the Urger’s past and the role of a tug boat and
its crew, public boat tours afford children and adults the opportunity to learn
how a bell boat works. The Urger is among the oldest operating bell boats in the
United States today.
While the school year may be over for students across the State, the Urger
continues to make its way across the Canal System educating the public. A
portion of the Urger’s schedule is posted below:
| July 2, 2004 | Annual Steamboat Rally, Waterford |
| July 18-19, 2004 | Canal Fest of the Tonawandas, Tonawanda |
| July 24-25, 2004 | Harbor Fest, Oswego |
| August 7, 2004 | GE River Fest, Albany Riverfront Park |
| August 13-15, 2004 | Sylvan Beach Canal Fest, Sylvan Beach |
| August 20-22, 2004 | Hudson Regional River Festival, Hudson & Catskill |
| September 4-5, 2004 | Intrepid Sea Air Space Museum, NYC |
| September 10-12, 2004 | Tugboat Roundup, Waterford |
For more information about the Urger’s educational programs or public boat
tours, call 518-436-2799 or visit the Canal Corporation’s Website. Dates and
events are subject to change and are weather dependent.
The New York State Canal System is comprised of four historic waterways, the
Erie, the Champlain, the Oswego and the Cayuga-Seneca Canals. Spanning 524-miles
across New York State, the waterway links the Hudson River, Lake Champlain, Lake
Ontario, the Finger Lakes and Niagara River with communities rich in history and
culture. For more information about NYS Canals, please call 1-800-4CANAL4 or
visit www.canals.state.ny.us.
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